a little bitta silly #5

i can't believe i'm posting this. i have no shame.

we cut the ends off of levi's birthday balloons so that we could throw them out. we were trying to get gretel to bounce on them, but all she wanted to do was sniff the helium. so i took over to show her how it's done.

you can play a little game of "spot gretel's toys that are thrown all over the place" while you watch this if you'd like. hint: one's a pumpkin.

i'll probably be embarrassed once people start watching this.

alright, that's enough silliness for this monday. hopefully, these made your transition from thanksgiving vacation to work a little bit easier. :)

a little bitta silly #4

i can't go into a michael's without messing around.

a little bitta silly #3

bling bling:

(it's a napkin ring.)

a little bitta silly #2

this is what happens when you don't start your pumpkin pie 'til after midnight the night before thanksgiving and you have to stay up and wait for it to finish baking:

yes, that's carnation evaporated milk.

no, i wasn't actually drinking it.

and yes, i get this hyper every time i stay up too late...which is most nights.

poor levi.

a little bitta silly #1

levi & i have been in a silly state of mind for the last couple weeks...maybe it's our way of dealing with stress? maybe it's our way of staying warm?

not sure.

anyway, levi's iPhone is pretty full of silly photos & videos, so i am devoting today to silliness.

first up:

bert & ernie

lemon surprise cake recipe

i should have posted this earlier! sorry!

here is the recipe from the cake i talked about here. it's really simple. i think levi's mom got it from the back of a cake mix or jello box.

ingredients:

cake:

- 1 package Duncan Hines lemon supreme cake mix

- 4 eggs

- 1/2 cup vegetable oil

- 1 cup water

- 1 package lemon Jello

icing:

- 2 lemons

- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar (i don't have a sifter, so my icing is lumpy)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for metal baking pan, 325 degrees for glass or Pyrex.

2. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for a couple minutes.

3. Pour batter into 9" x 13" greased & floured pan.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

5. While cake cooks, zest & juice both lemons (we like to use LOTS of zest).

6. Combine zest & juice with powdered sugar. Mix well.

7. Remove cake from oven. Punch holes in it with a large fork.

8. Pour icing on top of cake while it's still hot.

Enjoy!

that's all for today. enjoy black friday! be safe out there with all those sale-hungry shoppers!

happy thanksgiving, mes amis!

i hope you all enjoy a beautiful day with friends & family!

today i'm thankful for:

1. levi

2. my amazing family

3. red bull

4. my engagement ring (soon to be my wedding ring)

5. all of the amazing, generous people who are helping us put this wedding on

6. my blog

7. the little baby growing in my s-i-l's tummy

8. cute clothes

9. my dvr

10. coffee

11. gretel & lily

12. my calloused feet & constantly bruised knees/legs (they're proof that i get to enjoy dancing on a regular basis)

13. glee

14. the sweet care package i received in the mail from brigid yesterday

15. all my beautiful blog friends

16. my job

17. jesus

18. good food

love you all!

xoxoxo

(photo)

my baby's 30th birthday

scenes from levi's 30th birthday, courtesy of everyone's cell phones:

dinner at border grill in santa monica. YUM.

gretel playing with a balloon bouquet from levi's dad. (also pictured: my disaster zone of a house)

me playing dress up on our all day shopping trip with levi's birthday money from my mom! he couldn't find anything he wanted. i found plenty. too bad it wasn't my birthday!

because of the wedding, we celebrated in a low-key fashion. i plan on making up for it next year by throwing levi a huge 31st birthday bash!

a birthday tradition

in levi's family, levi's mom made everyone a lemon surprise cake on their birthdays.

it's tradition.

levi told me about this when we first started dating, so when his birthday was approaching that year, i emailed his sister for the recipe. i baked it for him as a surprise. and now it's a tradition for us too!

when we have kids, i plan on waking them up early in the morning with a lemon surprise cake on their birthdays. you should be able to eat cake for breakfast on your birthday after all!

it is the best cake in the world. not very pretty (pretty ugly in fact), but VERY delicious. i love it. so easy too.

so here's what levi's birthday cake looked like less than 24 hours after i made it:

there's a fork in there because that's how most of it was eaten: straight out of the pyrex with a fork. ha!

the last row was quickly devoured after this photo was taken.

levi ate 80% of the cake. here he is eating the last bite:

looks a little sick, doesn't he? yeah, he woke up sick the next morning.

that's what happens when you eat the better part of an entire cake in one day, silly!

getting dressed: week seven

i skipped last week's outfit post. it was a crazy week.

i wore this outfit shopping with levi when we went looking for groomsmen outfits. we also included a little date at maggiano's on this outing. ohhhh maggiano's, i love you. i love how huge the portions are. it's so easy to split things there. levi & i always split. at first, he wasn't into it, but once he saw how much cheaper it is, he got on board! we would never be able to eat out if we didn't share.

anyway, this was one of those thrown together outfits. it started with the tights and then i just grabbed things and threw them on from there.

cardigan: bdg from urban outfitters

sleeveless ruffle shirt: j.crew

skirt: bdg from urban outfitters

tights: eloise from anthropologie

shoes: circo from target (kid's section)

car: little werewolf from volvo

p.s. today is my momma's birthday! happy birthday, momma! i love you!!

the cold front

it has been faaaareeeeezing in our house lately.

time to pull my slippers out of the back of the closet!

too bad they're filthy from constant use last year. i wish i would have bought 90 pairs in my size. :(

this is how lily tries to stay warm:

she turns herself into a popple!

coffee...always coffee

i know i'm always talking about coffee, but i just love it so much.

I LOVE COFFEE.

i love the taste, the smell. i love how it looks. i love how it makes me feel. i love it hot. i love it cold. i love it black. or with cream & sugar.

nothing beats an excellent cup of high quality coffee.

i also love pictures of coffee. whenever i get a pretty cup, i won't drink it 'til i can snap a photo...if a camera is handy of course.

but i think the best thing about coffee is the ritual. nothing feels more civilized or more luxurious than sitting down to a nice cup of coffee with friends, family, or the man you love.

(p.s. remember that time i had to stop drinking coffee for awhile? that was sad.)

to my levi

good morning, baby!

you're 30 today! thirty. THIRTY. can you believe it??

i love you so much, and i'm so excited that i'm the girl that gets to celebrate these big days with you. i feel so lucky and so blessed that you picked me. and i'm very happy that i picked you.

best decision ever.

for your birthday, i'd like to tell you 30 reason i love 30-year old YOU:

1. even if you don't believe it, you're so creative & so talented.

2. you appreciate good food.

3. you're a beer snob.

4. you worry about what kind of dad you'll be - this proves to me that you'll be a great one.

5. you yell at the tv when the football is on. yes, it kind of bugs me, but i'm still glad you do it. it's cute, and i like that you care so much.

6. you come up with things like making kitty hammocks out of coffee bags, & then you do it!

7. you've taught me to love coffee SO MUCH.

8. you are obsessed with trying to convince me to let you sleep on my side of the bed.

9. you fill up efferson in the middle of the night when he runs out of water.

10. you refer to him as efferson...and never the humidifier.

11. you love jesus.

12. you humor me when i want to go to 3 different grocery stores just to cook 1 meal.

13. you take out the trash & clean the litter box without having to be asked.

14. you make me laugh.

15. you pray with me.

16. you have great style...even if we can't afford to buy you new clothes.

17. you remember all my favorites.

18. you rarely complain when i want to make special trips just for happy hippos & dark salt caramels, & you have accepted that i will always eat dessert every single night.

19. you can eat a whole pumpkin pie in one sitting.

20. you get excited when you do great hair, & you love your job.

21. you've watched batman begins about a hundred thousand times.

22. you appreciate more things about me than i knew existed.

23. you spoil me rotten.

24. you are h-o-t HOT.

25. you're a spectacular kisser.

26. you let me be me, & you encourage me in the things i love.

27. you read art magazines cover to cover.

28. you geek out on arts & craft time.

29. you remember who i'm talking about when i bring up blog people.

30. you really want to be my husband, & i know you will never ever leave me.

i hardly even scratched the surface there, levi! you are such an incredible man. i can't wait to call you husband.

happy happy birthday to my favorite person in the world - my levi.

you are my best.

love always & forever,

your jasi bean pie

(i still laugh every time i see this picture, you little model.)

:)

thank you so much for all your kind words on my post earlier today.

i am feeling soooo much better now.

i wish YOU guys could all come to my wedding!

i know that at the end of the day levi and i are what really matter. however, it's really important to us that we share this day with our family and friends...otherwise, what's the point, ya know?

but right now, i don't really care. i don't care about a groomsman canceling. i don't care that there are almost 100 response cards out there that we still haven't received. i don't care about all those stamps.

i might care about these things again next week or next month, but right now i'm happy that levi and i are having a wedding. and i'm happy that at least my mom, sister, brother, and sister-in-law will be there. right now, that feels like enough.

plus, i get to wear a really really pretty dress. ;)

toddler pigtails & a couple other things

i wore pigtails last night!

but my hair is so short that i started calling them toddler pigtails. hehe!

this is the first time i've put my hair "up" in almost three years!

and did you notice that christmas has made its way to south coast plaza?? yay! it's been there since before halloween, but i still find it very exciting. however, christmas is not allowed in my house 'til after thanksgiving...well, actually it's not allowed 'til after levi's birthday but that's always right before, if not on, thanksgiving. did you know he's going to be 30 on monday?? i have a little surprise planned for him this weekend. shhhh!

we went shopping last night for groomsmen outfits. we're putting them in all different outfits just like the bridesmaids - black & white patterns.

here's levi in one of the outfits (it'll be paired with black pants instead of jeans & no light blue tee underneath):

i'm pretty excited. i think the boys will look pretty hot - none hotter than my levi, of course! :)

and finally, can i please share this little doggie with you?? (from the free people holiday catalogue)

ummm, isn't he the cutest! he looks like a frosty, little, snow pup!

I WANT HIM!!!! i love him.

i think i might name him jacquimo.

can you tell i'm all energized from finally getting out and doing something last night??! i'm finally starting to recover from this awful plague. of course, now i've started my 3-4 weeks of cramping. ahhh, the joys of being a woman.

a fall walk

on one of my sickest weekends (i'm still sick btw), we got out of the house once for a little walk.

it was a gorgeous day. so sunny, crisp, & blustery. perfect fall weather.

i love shadows.

and just to prove that i'm still sick:

yes, that's me sitting in my underwear in our hall closet looking miserable (i think i sat down in the closet on the way to the shower 'cause i was tired - not sure...i'm weird). there's a funny video that accompanies this photo, but i figured this was enough of me in my underwear on the blog. hehe.

.

i type furiously. like there's fire in my fingertips.

my fingers feel alive. they buzz.

they tap. they stretch. they know where they're going. what they're doing. there is a direct line of communication between my head and my fingers.

between my heart and my fingers.

the screen can't shoot letters, words, thoughts, & phrases out fast enough.

i type just to hear that satisfying click clack on my keyboard. just to feel my fingers flying across this small rectangle of squares that represent all i need to say.

my wrists sit still. just resting. calm. like nothing is happening mere inches away.

but so much is happening. my fingers are so busy. keeping up. always keeping up.

thank you, fingers.

you've always been able to keep up with my brain. you're a wonder & a marvel. some of God's finest work.

treats

good morning & happy monday!

here are some delicious treats i've been enjoying lately:

1. assorted yummies from our neighborhood candy store (gretel enjoys treats too)

2. an unassuming looking brownie from SusieCakes that ended up being delicious

3. the cutest little froggie petit four

(not pictured: pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookies, watermelon sour warheads, licorice - there's always licorice)

sometimes something sweet is all it takes.

f is for friday

levi & i had so much fun watching a sesame street classic songs playlist on youtube last night. totally random, but a little walk down memory lane is really nice once in awhile. we had fun pointing out the ones we remembered from when we were kids.

gosh, wasn't sesame street the BEST back then?? levi was hilarious when Bert's Doin' the Pigeon came on...he knew how to do the pigeon still. ha! so cute. he is getting more & more excited to start our own family. i love it. :)

here are two of our favorites for your own walk down memory lane:

i am still not feeling well. this cold/flu/plague that i have is horrible. it won't go away! we have a lot of plans this weekend, so i'm probably going to have to ignore it and just get on with my life!

up first: tonight, we're going to see annie!

what are your plans?

my talented fiancé

i meant to share this earlier!

over a year ago, i featured some of levi's paintings on here. a reader saw one that she liked, and she emailed me about it. a few days later, we met up with her in a coffee shop, and she bought the painting!

it was one of my favorites, so i was a bit sad to see it go.

however, jessica has a great sense of design and style, so the painting was in good hands. it turns out that her apartment is so amazing that apartment therapy did a feature on it!

which means that levi's painting was featured as well!! you can see their apartment tour here. just click on "enter the house tour" to get to the gallery of photos. levi's painting is in photos one & five.

the painting is called white with red no. 2. they accidentally spelled his name w. levi meyers (instead of myers) on the site, but i promise - it's still my levi. :)

her apartment is so cool & so inspiring. they did a really amazing job with it!

getting dressed: week six

i've been very sick for the last week. booo!

i think the wedding stress pushed me over the edge. i didn't leave the house all weekend except for once on monday. needless to say, i haven't really left my pajamas lately. haha!

so this week's getting dressed post shows you what you can find me in when i'm sick...or working. i work from home as an editor so, usually, i'm in lounge-y type clothes on my couch. after the wedding, we plan on putting together a little "office nook" for me though! exciting!!

ahhh, working from home is so glamorous! this my current favorite lounge ensemble.

pajama pants: pure & good at anthropolgie

long sleeved henley: pure & good at anthropologie

i highly recommend this brand for loungewear & pjs. everything is really soft & cozy.

what you're wearing: brigid

i'm sooo excited for this week's edition of what you're wearing because i get to introduce you to the lovely brigid!

brigid is probably my best twitter friend (btf, perhaps?). tragically, she doesn't have a blog!! what?!? no blog, you say! i know. it's horrific. however, her tweets are enough to hold me over 'til she gets on the blog train one day. you can find her on twitter here, where she tweets about her brand-new husband, her lovely life in nyc, her sweet little students (she's a kindergarten teacher), & all kinds of yummy things she's eating. seriously, aren't food tweets the best? i love them...especially, when accompanied by pictures!

without further ado, i present:

brigid

isn't she darling? and doesn't that outfit look so cozy & chic? i love it.

faux fur vest: anthropologie

shirt: urban outfitters

jeans: levi's

boots: aldo

1. where did you wear this outfit?

walking around our neighborhood. the weather was so beautiful, matt and i were just itching to get out and take a walk and we ended up walking all the way to the east river!

2. where are your favorite places to shop? favorite online stores?

anthropologie is definitely my favorite. it's hard not to fall head over heels for that store. i also very much like urban outfitters and j. crew.

3. do you have a style icon?

katharine hepburn. she was the first women to wear pants in a major motion picture and scandalized most of america! she was smart, spirited and independent and had an incredible sense of personal style.

4. what do you have the most fun shopping for and wearing? (i.e. sunglasses, jewelry, shoes, jeans, boots, sweaters, things with stripes, skirts, you get the idea)

well, i can tell you i've never been a shoes girl. maybe because i have what my uncle long ago described as "fred flinstone" feet. in other words: wide, wide, wide! my favorite things to shop for are scarves and handbags. i think they can dramatically change the look of an outfit. i also love mixing different patterns in my outfits -- stripes with florals or polka dots with plaid, for instance.

5. is there anything you would love to wear, but are timid to try?

shorts. i wish i could pull them off but i don't think i have the legs for it. i haven't i've worn a pair of shorts in public since i was somewhere around seven.

and now for the silly/fun questions:

1. if your style spoke a language, what would it be?

definitely a dialect of some kind because my personal style is always evolving and there are no hard and fast rules. i found this blurb on new york english when searching for american dialects -- it definitely fits the bill as my style has been heavily influenced by living in new york city these past three and a half years.

2. what cartoon character best reflects your sense of style?

this was a tough one. my mind immediately went to alice in wonderland because i love the whimsy and specter of it, but i couldn't think of just one character whose style reflected my own. i finally settled on the mad hatter. i love the mad hatter's bold colors and playful accessories, namely his top hat, oversized bow tie and chartreuse blazer. besides, what could be better than a never ending tea party? (the march hare and dormouse aren't too shabby either!).

3. what time period would you love to have dressed in?

the 1930s. i'm obsessed with the finger wave hairstyle and i love the mix of tomboy and femme from that era.

i hope you enjoyed getting to know brigid! you can say hello to her here.